Sir Elton John battled through illness to perform for fans in Australia on Wednesday night after doctors advised him not to take to the stage. The British singer fell sick prior to his gig at the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Brisbane, but refused to cancel the show as he didn’t want to disappoint his loyal followers.

Sir Elton struggled with a persistent cough throughout the concert, and told the crowd his doctors had diagnosed him with bronchitis and advised him not to go ahead with the gig, according to the Brisbane Times.

The veteran star also told the audience his partner David Furnish had been with him in Australia, but had flown back to the U.S. after coming down with the same chesty cough.

The Rocket Man is due to continue his Australian tour with a show in the Hunter Valley on 3 December.